Ordinary Greatness and My Grandfather Philip Silver
I was standing in front of a house whose door was, strangely, angled out 45 degrees from the ground toward me. I had to get on my hands and knees to try to get the key in the lock. While I was struggling with the lock, I heard a noise coming from the second floor, […]
Letting the Silence Master You
Someone wrote me recently, “I wish I could master connecting with the silence.” I hear that. Actually, I hear a lot more than that. I hear the jets constantly passing overhead toward Portland International, I hear traffic outside my window. I hear my kids crying and running on the floor above my basement office. I […]
Why You Have To, Must, Need To Be Effective In Marketing
At 1:10 p.m. I’m standing in line at the post office. I know it’s 1:10 p.m. because my iPhone prayer app lets loose with a resounding call announcing the time for the midday prayer. The three other people in the post office avoid looking at me. Or maybe it doesn’t bother them. I carry the […]
Leaving Money on the Table
“You aren’t helping anyone by leaving money on the table. That means you’re missing getting your message out or that you aren’t making a fair value for your work.” That’s a quote from Lee Stranahan within a comment he left on the Productive Flourishing blog. As someone who grew up in punk rock culture, I […]
Leaving Money on the Table
“You aren’t helping anyone by leaving money on the table. That means you’re missing getting your message out or that you aren’t making a fair value for your work.” That’s a quote from Lee Stranahan within a comment he left on the Productive Flourishing blog. As someone who grew up in punk rock culture, I […]
How to Organize Sales Pages to Avoid Overwhelm
When considering whether to buy something online, readers don’t want to feel overwhelmed and flattened, or just plain bored, by too much copy. And as a business owner, you probably feel shy or nervous about giving too much. Yet, it’s been shown over and over again that for complex or significant purchases, you need to […]
What’s New: May 28, 2010
The Big Spill, Business, and Grief Kate’s on a retreat this week, so it’s me, Mark, filling in for her. What’s been heaviest on my heart these last couple of weeks has been the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What’s been notable for me is that I haven’t gone into rage around it, […]
When the Speed of Business Has Left You In the Dust
Mailing printed newsletters are in. Then they’re out. Cold calls in, then they’re out. Email newsletters (ezines) are in. Then ezines are out. MySpace is in. Then MySpace is out. Cell phone ads, Facebook, twitter, blogs are in until… In the realm of communication the pace of change is incredibly rapid and increasing in speed. […]
Money’s Starring Role in the Creative Process
Years ago I had a fantastic coach, one of the first coaches I ever worked with, back when I was also studying Sufi healing. Again and again she gently and firmly told me: “Whenever you talk about numbers, you get all weird.” It was true. I would start planning to make so much money, or […]
When Making a Profit Feels Greedy and Selfish
On the surface it seems absurd. Of course it’s okay to have some money for yourself. It’s okay to take care of yourself. It’s okay to make a profit. And yet when it comes time to actually collect enough money from your clients and customers, you balk. By “enough” I mean an amount that’s actually […]